<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Lucky by dralexreid</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27042526">Lucky</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid'>dralexreid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dr Piper Bishop [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:53:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,233</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27042526</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The BAU pursues a cannibalistic, Satanist serial killer active in Bridgewater, Florida, that leads Morgan to question his faith. Meanwhile, Garcia believes she has met her dream man, but her first date with him doesn't go exactly as she had expected</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dr Spencer Reid/Dr Piper Bishop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dr Piper Bishop [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972852</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lucky</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Another sunny day. After receiving multiple good morning texts from Piper (who is an absolute goofball that should not be allowed near her phone at 5:30 am) Penelope got up from her lavender-scented sheets (a gift by Emily that kept on giving) and trudged her way to the shower. She grabbed her mug of the day and left for her favourite coffee shop down the street. She greeted Allison (who definitely works too much) and waited patiently for her bean juice until she heard mild swearing from behind her. A <strong>very</strong> handsome man slammed his fingers into his keyboard, cursing at his laptop. Allison’s outstretched hands shook her from the very dirty scene her imagination would have created. As she walked past, she halted behind the man hitting his keyboard. “I got a polo mallet in my trunk. Maybe you should give it a shot?” She joked before seeing the very grim face on the young man. “Sorry, none of my business.” As she made to leave, he started.</p><p>“3 hours.” Penelope stopped, turned and tilted her head. “Just froze up on me.”</p><p>“You didn’t save…Who has time to save these days with the kids and the rap music?” She approached the man and peered at his laptop, her cheek inches away from his. </p><p>“You have a polo mallet in your trunk?” He asked the blonde examining his laptop.</p><p>“Small one.” She admitted. “May I?” The young man got up, allowing her the seat. “Oh, figures. Windows. Temperamental.” He watched her fingers flutter over his keyboard and chuckled as she exclaimed, “Et voila!” Penelope got up from the seat, grabbing her bags and wished him luck but as she left, he introduced himself.</p><p>“James, James Baylor. My friends call me Colby.”</p><p>“Penelope. Garcia. My friends call me wonderful.” He chuckled again. My God, he was beautiful. And then he did something that very rarely happened in her itty bitty life. He pulled out his card and offered her lunch. Penelope felt her face light up and she scribbled her own number on his paper napkin. </p><p>She felt giddy as she walked into the BAU with her untouched cup of coffee. Derek glided behind her, as he did so irritatingly, saying, “Good morning, princess,” receiving only a curt good morning in return. “Pump. Your. Brakes” said he in that smooth voice he had and beckoned her closer. “Every morning I say good morning. Every day you say I’ll show you a good morning hot stuff. Every day. Not today?”</p><p>“I hate profilers. You know that?”</p><p>“Spit it out.”</p><p>“Fine. I met a guy.”</p><p>“You did what?” Derek’s eyebrows reached outer space. “Where?”</p><p>“Coffee shop. Smoking hot. I fixed his computer and then he asked for my number.”</p><p>“And you just–”</p><p>“Gave it to him. Did I mention he was smoking hot?” Derek smiled at her.</p><p>“Yeah. Okay. It happens.” Derek made to leave until Garcia continued.</p><p>“No, it doesn’t. Not to me. Not like this.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“I’m not the girl men see across a smoky bar and write songs about. No– I do just fine, it just takes a minute, you know.”</p><p>“Ok, so what’s the problem? You think it’s all happening a little too fast or something?”</p><p>“Yes. I–I don’t know. Maybe. What do you think?” </p><p>“I think you should always trust your gut, So sure, if he seems a little too smooth or maybe even a little too smokin’ hot, then maybe you should walk the other way.” Before Garcia could reply, JJ marched past. </p><p>“Hey, we got a bad one.”</p><p>“How bad?”</p><p>“Florida.” Derek sighed heavily. Piper slowly sunk into her chair, Spencer watching her carefully. Rossi and Hotch glanced through the file as Derek and JJ filed in. </p><p>“Bridgewater, Florida. Local girl, Abbey Kelton, 19, Left her parents’ home to go to the local junior college. She never came home. 3 days later, joggers found her– Part of her– In a nearby park.” Piper didn’t flinch as a mangled body flashed on the screen. </p><p>“Jesus, the unsub did that?” Piper whispered.</p><p>“She was found in what the locals call Alligator Alley.”</p><p>“Forensic countermeasure? Leaving her to the alligators, letting them destroy the evidence for him?”</p><p>“Now I don’t feel so bad about my alligator wallet.” Emily murmured.</p><p>“Alligators didn’t cut off her fingers, slit her throat, or carve this into her chest. An inverted pentagram,” Hotch remarked.</p><p>“Pentagrams were used symbolically in ancient Greece and Babylonia," Piper launched, "and are used today as a symbol of faith by many Wiccans, but they’re notoriously linked to Satanism. Éliphas Lévi called it evil whenever the symbol appeared the other way up. Much like the swastika used by both Hindus and Nazis.”</p><p>“Was this a part of your history course?” Derek joked.</p><p>“Actually it was the only way my senior classes would pay attention to me. Parents didn’t like it.” She did that smile where she looked like a very polite cat.</p><p>“Some things never change.” Rossy grimaced.</p><p>“Killer satanic cults don’t exist,” Emily informed him. “They were debunked as a suburban myth.” She just blinked as Rossi stared at her. “What?”</p><p>“Rossi’s the one that debunked them,” Spencer pointed out and Piper stifled a laugh behind her hand.</p><p>“Oh. Right. Well. Thanks.” He nodded at her before quickly continuing.</p><p>“Well, cult or not, the killing was highly ritualised.”</p><p>“That’s not the only bit to be worried about. These cuts are precise," Hotch announced. "This guy’s professional.”</p><p>“Okay, so satanic cults don’t exist, but satanic serial killers do,” Derek mused. </p><p>Rossi simply made his exit, dramatically quoting, “<em>Lasciate ogni speranza ch'entrate.</em>”</p><p>“Thanks for clearing that up.” Piper laughed at Derek.</p><p>“He’s quoting Dante’s Inferno.” She got up from her chair, careful not to lean on her right hand, Spencer about to push off from his seat to help her. Matching Rossi’s intonations, she translated, “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.”</p><p>“So that’s a yes.”</p><p>JJ, Rossi and Morgan went to see the family. Prentiss, Hotch and Reid went to see the body. Piper was alone, again, pinning up pictures of more victims. “Can’t believe somethin’ like this could happen in Bridgewater.” Piper whipped her head around to see the young detective looking at her.</p><p>“Trust me, detective, the chances of this happening again are very low. And we have a very high success rate.”</p><p>“I hope so. How many victims you usually get before…” He trailed off, hanging his head. Piper flitted over, pressing a hand to his shoulder gently. </p><p>“With cases that are called in this early, best case scenario is two.”</p><p>“And worst case?”</p><p>“Three. Detective, trust us. We’re good at our job.”</p><p>“If you’re so good, why are you in here pinning pictures?” The detective closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”</p><p>“I got shot. In the line of duty. Bullet lodged in my shoulder. No exit wound so…” She cleared her throat. “I’m too stubborn to leave behind at HQ, but my boss is too stubborn to let me in the field. So I feel just about as useless as you do. But we’ll get him. We always do.”</p><p>“Listen, you need any help with this board?” Piper smiled at the detective and finally, she didn’t feel so alone.</p><p>She watched them discuss the most recent development. 10 fingers– ugh. It was too gross to think about. <em>Every time you think you’ve reached the peak, it just gets worse. </em>“So we need to ID the new fingerprints. I’ll get Garcia on it.” Her shoulder throbbed as she talked to Garcia, pain and guilt and self-hatred swirling up her throat. She flipped her cell shut and felt like vomiting.</p><p>“Here.” The detective offered a bottle of painkillers. “My dad had a GSW to his leg, the painkillers helped.”</p><p>“Thanks,” she took the bottle. “I never caught your name.”</p><p>“Andrew. Andrew Lisbon. My friends call me Drew.”</p><p>“Piper.” She extended a hand, smiling. “Piper Bishop. My team calls me Pipes.”</p><p>Spencer watched the interaction between you and a fairly handsome detective intently until Rossi pulled him out into consciousness.</p><p>^-^</p><p>Garcia tapped the answer button with the top of her pen.“Hear ye, hear ye, the Honourable Penelope Garcia presiding. Speak and be heard.”</p><p>
  <em>“Uh, it’s Colby. We met this morning. You fixed my laptop.”</em>
</p><p>“Yeah. Uh, hi. H-How’s it going?”</p><p>
  <em>“Great. Thanks to you.”</em>
</p><p>“Heh. Just happy to be of service.”</p><p>
  <em>“You know, I was wonderin’ if you’d let me make that thank-you lunch a dinner.”</em>
</p><p>“You really don’t have to do that.”</p><p>
  <em>“I know, but I’d like to. I’m askin’ you out, Garcia. Tomorrow night.”</em>
</p><p>“Tomorrow night? Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night. You know, I would love to, But I am coming down with something.”</p><p>
  <em>“Are you ok?”</em>
</p><p>“Y-Yeah.”</p><p>
  <em>“Maybe some other time when you’re feelin’ up to it.”</em>
</p><p>“Yeah. That– I have your number.”</p><p>
  <em>“Feel better. ”</em>
</p><p>“Thanks.” Garcia’s attention fixated on her screen as she tossed the number into her bin, watching the fingerprint recognition software working its magic, then with a practised flourish, dialled Derek.</p><p>
  <em>“Hey, what you got for me, girl?”</em>
</p><p>“I just sent you 10 separate IDs belonging to the 10 fingers found in Abbey Kelton’s stomach. No 2 fingers belong to the same woman.”</p><p>
  <em>“10. And you ID’d them already?”</em>
</p><p>“Mm. 40-Plus prostitution arrests made it easy. They worked truck stops and rest areas In the counties surrounding Bridgewater.”</p><p>
  <em>“Well, the unsub knows the area well.”</em>
</p><p>“Clearly. Gotta go. Bye.”</p><p>
  <em>“Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. What, no snappy rhetoric? What’s goin’ on?”</em>
</p><p> "Not in the mood.“ </p><p>
  <em>"Penelope?”</em>
</p><p>“Uh, that guy from the coffee shop asked me out, and I took your advice, and I blew him off.”</p><p>
  <em>“Oh. Um… Well, good. Smart move. Something was definitely wrong with him.”</em>
</p><p>“Wow. You are some profiler. You could tell how wrong he was from what little I told you.”</p><p>
  <em>“Garcia, I didn’t mean to–”</em>
</p><p>“I wonder was it that he was too handsome or too interested in me that tipped you off on how wrong he was?”</p><p>
  <em>“Garcia, I–”</em>
</p><p>“Just ‘cause you wouldn’t cross a crowded room to hit on me does not mean that a more perceptive, less superficial guy wouldn’t. Hey, Derek, you want snappy? You suck.” She cut the line and Derek stared at his cell for a few minutes before he put it away. Penelope sniffled before turning to her pink dustbin, pulling out the card Colby gave her, starting to dial.</p><p>^-^</p><p>“I am getting sick of these walls. Garcia just sent these through.” Piper slapped the files on the desk before furrowing her brows. “Hotch just checked them. We’re calling families, you’re briefing the locals with Rossi." She met Spencer's troubled eyes. "You okay?”</p><p>“Hmm? Yeah, fine. I’ll get started on the briefing.”</p><p>^-^</p><p>Piper drummed her fingers on the dashboard next to Detective Lisbon. “Impatient, huh?”</p><p>“I’ve been cooped up in your police station for 3 days.” He snorted.</p><p>“They’re good people.”</p><p>“Oh, no!” Piper panicked. “No- no, I didn’t mean– all I meant was–” He just chuckled.</p><p>“No, I get it. Inaction makes the brain go crazy.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“You get nightmares?”</p><p>“In law enforcement, doesn’t everyone?” She stared out the window. “I try to deal with it. Can’t say therapy doesn’t work, I used to encourage it.”</p><p>“You know, I did a little research on you.”</p><p>“Should I be nervous?”</p><p>“No, it’s all good stuff. I just figured out why you do this gig.”</p><p>“Enlighten me.”</p><p>“I think you do what helps the most people. So, are you?”</p><p>“I think so.” The car came to a halt and the two got out to join the others. “So we doing this search party or what?”</p><p>As Piper handed out bottles, Emily poked you with her pen. “So Detective Lisbon huh?”</p><p>“Don’t be ridiculous.”</p><p>“What? I didn’t say anything.” She smiled, winningly.</p><p>“We’re not high school girls anymore. I understand subtext now. And nothing’s happened.”</p><p>“Yet.” She whispered in a sing-song voice.</p><p>“Don’t make me hurt you, Emily.”</p><p>“What, I’m not the only one. Spencer was basically boring holes into Lisbon’s head yesterday.”</p><p>“I was?” Reid popped up behind them.</p><p>“Yeah. Reid, c'mon, convince her to ask him out.”</p><p>“He lives in Florida Em, you know long-distance doesn’t work out.”</p><p>“Really, what about JJ?”</p><p>“JJ’s different.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“I-I don’t even know the guy.”</p><p>“That’s the point of dating. C'mon Reid, what do you think?”</p><p>“If you ask me…”</p><p>“Just give Emily a statistic on the probabilities of it working out.”</p><p>“I can’t.”</p><p>“Di–Did you say you can’t give us a statistic, Reid are you okay?” Piper snorted. </p><p>“Check if he has a fever.”</p><p>“I can’t say because you’re an outlier, Piper.”</p><p>“How am I an outlier, Spence?” Emily rolled her eyes, leaving them alone.</p><p>“Because you defy the odds. Every time. You were a history teacher. You became an FBI agent. You survived a gunshot wound. You defy the odds. And-” Piper’s heart kept pounding. <em>Just say no. Say no Spence, and I’ll forget him.</em> “And anyone would be lucky to go out with you.” Piper stared at him as he asked for more signatures.</p><p>^-^</p><p>Piper pinned up the latest victim on the board. Kept for 9 months and somehow, Hotch figured out that the unsub was eating them. Her cell rang and she put Garcia on speaker, who informed them that the Hazelwood Mental Institute for the Criminally Insane had a fire months ago. Bishop and Reid headed out a few minutes later, the latter driving in silence. “Do you like him?”</p><p>“He’s nice, cute, offered me painkillers for my wound.”</p><p>“So you’re gonna go out with him?” She shifted in her seat and his voice was filled with concern. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“Fine. I don’t know. I’m indifferent. If he gives me his number by the end, I’ll give him a chance.” Reid nodded, not making eye contact. “I’m sorry.” She murmured, laying a hand on his thigh. Spencer’s blood rushed. “I should’ve told you, but you were all so busy, and I was alone-”</p><p>“You shouldn’t feel alone. Ever.” Spencer looked at her with those warm honeyed eyes.</p><p>“Eyes on the road, Spence.”</p><p>“Right.”</p><p>“Why shouldn’t I feel alone? Spence, I wanna be a part of the team again, but everyone’s always doing something and I’m constantly left behind.”</p><p>“You’ll recover, quicker than you know.”</p><p>“Yeah, Spence, but I won’t be the same. I haven’t slept right since I feel different and my shoulder hurts at the worst times.” Reid was silent.</p><p>“You haven’t slept?” He asked quietly. “Wh- Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”</p><p>“Spence-”</p><p>“No, no, you probably just didn’t want me to know, I shouldn’t prod.” Piper sighed and he closed off. Again.</p><p>“That’s not it.”</p><p>“Then what is?”</p><p>“I didn’t want to worry anyone. The last thing I need right now is someone breaking down my symptoms. Look, I’m going to therapy, I’m eating healthier, I’m taking my meds, and I’m going to be fine.” Spencer just sat there solemnly, trying to ignore the soft hand still on his thigh. </p><p>They pulled up beside an old institution and Spencer raced to the other side to help Piper out. “Why do we always have to go to these places when it’s dark? I feel like I’m in a horror movie.” She heard Spencer chuckle beside her. “Don’t laugh,” she pushed him with her good arm, continuing,” I hate horror movies.”</p><p>“Okay, fine, fine. So what do you watch? Rom-coms?”</p><p>“I can’t tell you.”</p><p>“Oh, now you have to.”</p><p>“Look, it’s the doctor.” Piper sped forwards into the dark, Spencer following her.</p><p>The three of them made their way through the institution as the doctor explained their records had all suffered in the fire, with another doctor dying in it as he came back into the office when the fire alarm rang.</p><p>“Was there something his office that he felt was worth risking his life for?” She asked him</p><p>“Now that I think about it,” the doctor muttered. He pulled out a drawer and a partially burned notebook. “The grounds people found it in a tree just below his office. Jim, uh, must have thrown it out of his window Just before he…”</p><p>“Thank you, Dr Nash.” Piper clutched the book as the doctor continued. </p><p>“I started reading it. I had to s-stop. ‘The–“ Uh, "the patient’s symptoms go far beyond normal psychosexual, oral biting fixation of a typical 7-year-old boy.’”</p><p>“Thank you very much, sir.” As Bishop and Reid left, the latter clutched a phone to his ear in the darkness.</p><p>“Rossi, we’ve got something.” </p><p>
  <em>“I need a name, Reid.” </em>
</p><p>"Admitted after biting a large piece of flesh out of his 9-month-old sist-" </p><p>
  <em>"A name.” </em>
</p><p>“Believes he is possessed by a flesh-eating demon." </p><p><em>“Reid.“</em> Piper snatched the phone off of Reid before spitting out the name.</p><p>“Floyd Feylin Ferrell.” She snapped the cell shut.</p><p>“I was about to-”</p><p>“Sure, Spence.” Piper smiled softly at him in the darkness, clutching her shoulder gently, but the gesture wasn’t lost on him and his forehead crinkled.</p><p>^-^</p><p>She’d lasted a year before she had to throw up. Her hair was tied up, a bottle of water left on the floor next to the seat. She’d seen some creepy things, but this was the peak. As she hurled into the toilet seat, she flashed through the signs. She hadn’t even eaten the dishes at the volunteer search party and yet here she was. Hurling as though she’d eaten Tracey’s body like the rest of the search party. Having emptied her stomach, Piper gulped down the bottle of water and flushed. She heard a rap on the bathroom door. “Agent Bishop!” Gulping down more water, she opened the door.</p><p>“Detective Lisbon. I’m sorry, it just-”</p><p>“No, it’s, it’s fine. Here.” He offered her a mint. “I can’t believe that sick bastard would do something like this.” Piper popped the mint in her mouth before replying.</p><p>“I could have lived not knowing.”</p><p>“Well, at least you didn’t eat it.”</p><p>“That’s true,” she said solemnly.</p><p>“Piper,” the detective started, staring at his shoes.”How, uh… how long are you in Florida?”</p><p>“The jet leaves tonight. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“No, no. Don’t be- I just uh…” He stammered. Piper approached him, telling him to breathe and try again. “Can I…I mean would you…like my number?” She chuckled, oblivious to Spencer and Derek watching them.</p><p>“Yes, I’d like that very much.” Piper picked up the card he offered with two fingers and popped it in her pocket.</p><p>“I’ll see you around?”</p><p>“Maybe.” She smiled at him before turning around to see Derek snickering alone. She slapped his arm with the back of his hand. As she turned over the card in the jet, Garcia was being dropped off by her date.</p><p>“I had fun tonight.” She said, turning to the handsome man dropping her off.</p><p>“Me too,” Colby said, shoving his hand into his right pocket. He stepped closer to Garcia, their faces inches apart as just as Garcia tilted her head forward, he hugged her, whispering a good night in her ear.</p><p>“Good night.” She walked away towards her door, turning back as he called her name.</p><p>“I’ve been wanting to do this all night.” He smiled before raising his gun and shooting her just above her breast. Garcia collapsed in the darkness, key in hand as the gunshot sounded out around the apartment complex.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>